Fishing rod winding machine



w. s. TORRENCE FISHING ROD WINDING MACHINE Oct. 22, 1940.

v s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1939 INVENIOR.

A14; 7'5? 6? Tweeavca ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 22, 1940. w. s. TORRENCE FISHING ROD WINDING MACHINE 3 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15, 1959 Ml 72566. Taeezwca y WITNESS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. -22, 1940. w. s. TORRENCE FISHING ROD WINDING MACHINE Fil ed eb. 15, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet s INV ENT OR.

v ATTORNEY .3.

Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Walter S. Torrance, New York, N. Y. 7 Application February 15, 1939, Serial No, 256,419

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in winding machines and more particularly it pertains to machines for applying binding windings to fishing rods and fishing rod joints. J

It is one object of the present invention to improve the construction and mode of operation of machines of the afore-mentioned type, and to provide such machines with mechanism which will effect a better binding operation than will machines of the prior art.

A feature of the invention resides in a novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby rods or sections of rods of various lengths may be operated upon merely by a simple adjustment of the parts of the machine.

A serious difliculty with prior machines has been an inability to prevent whipping or wobbling of the rod during rotation thereof to accomplish the winding of the bindings thereon and it is an object of the present invention so to construct a machine of the afore-mentioned type which will maintain the rod or section of rod being operated upon in true axial alinement during the winding operation.

A further feature of the invention resides in a novel construction and arrangement of parts for simultaneously applying a plurality of binding windings upon a fishing rod or a section thereof.

A further feature of the invention resides in a novel'construction whereby the binding windings .may be applied to the rod in any desired lengths and the machine automatically brought to a position of rest when the binding windings of the desired length have been applied.

Other features of the invention relate to certain novel and improved construction, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the-advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

- The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawings illustratingv the invention in its preferred form and the following detailed description of the constructions therein shown.

I11 the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a. machine for applying binding windings to a fishing rod or section thereof, constructed in accordance with the present invention, I

Figure 2 is a view in front elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure .4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5- 5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale, illustrating one of the binding feeding units, the manner in which the binding is fed to the rod or rod section being operated upon, and the binding severing device,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line '|--1 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 7,

Figure '9 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 6,

Figure 10 is a detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line III-l0 of Figure 9,

Figure 11 is a detail sectionalvview taken on the line of Figure 5, and;

Figure 12 is a detail perspective view of the carriage feeding nut.

Referring to the drawings by reference character, and more particularly to Figure 2, thereof, the machine has a supporting base which preferably consists of two blocks 20 and supporting bars 2|, of which there are preferably two. The supporting bars 2| are secured in parallel relation in the blocks 20 by bolts, screws or the like 23, see Figure 1, and these several parts are, of course, rigidly secured together. The blocks 20 may be rigidly or firmly attached as at 24 to a bench, table or other suitable support 25.

Rising from the bars 2| at one end thereof, there is a pillow block or hearing standard 26 which preferably has two tubular extensions 21 through which the supporting rods 2| pass and also through which pass screws or bolts 28 for securing the pillow block or standard 26 against movement relatively to the bars 2|.

The pillow block 26 is mounted upon the bars 2| beyond or outside of the adjacent supporting or base block 20, and mounted upon each of the bars 2| upon the inside of the adjacent supporting blocks 20, there is a sleeve 29.

The reference, character 30 designates a second pillow block or hearing standard which has two saddle-like bearings 3| I which rest upon the bars 2| and form the support for this pillow block. A clamping plate 32 is employed to secure the pillow block 26 in clamped rigid enand attached to the bars 2| in the same manher as that described for the pillow block 36, and will, therefore, not be specifically described. The blocks 29, bars 2| and pillow blocks 26,

30 and 35 when secured together as above described, constitute a rigid frame work for the several movable parts which will now be described in detail.

As best illustrated in Figure 5, the pillow block 26 is provided with two bearings 49 and 4| and mounted at one end in the bearing 40, there is a'shaft 42. The shaft also rests near its other end in a bearing 43, in the pillow block'35 and in a bearing 44 in a bracket 45 which is secured to the pillow block 35 at 46. This bracket 45 has a vertical arm 41, which as shown in Figure 2, is spaced with respect to the pillow block 35. The shaft 42 has two keyways 48 and 49, the specific purpose of which will be hereinafter more specifically set forth.

Mounted in the bearing 4| of the pillow block 26, there is a second shaft 56, the inner end of which is supported within a sleeve 5|, which in turn operates in a bearing 52 in the .pillow block 39 and this shaft is provided with a keyw-ay 53.

Carried by the shaft 42, there is a sleeve 54, the exterior of which is threaded as at 55, and this sleeve extends through an opening 56 in the pillow block 39. The inner end of this sleeve 54 abuts a collar 51, secured to the shaft 42 and interposed between the outer end of said sleeve and the pillow block 26, there is a coil spring 58 which is under tension urging the threaded sleeve 54 in the direction of the collar 51. The threaded sleeve 54 is operatively connected to the shaft 42, by means of a key 59 which passes through the sleeve and has sliding engagement in the keyway 48 heretofore mentioned.

The pillow block at is provided with a trackway 60 in which is slidably mounted a nut 6|. The thread of the nut interengages the thread 55 of the sleeve 54 and is normally urged into such engagement by a spring 62, see figure 3. The nut 6| has an open side 63 which permits of its movement over the sleeve 54, to positions in engagement with and out of engagement with the thread 55 of the sleeve 54.

The nut is urged into engagement with the thread 55 of the sleeve 54 by the spring 62 as heretofore stated and for moving the nut out of engagement with said thread, there is a handopenated lever 19. This leverv 10 is pivotally mounted as at H upon the pillow block 30 and its lower end engages the nut 6| in such a manner that when the lever is rocked to the left in Figure 3, the nut 6| will be moved to the right in Figure 3 and disengage the thread of the sleeve 54. Upon release of the hand lever 19, the spring 62, returns the parts to the position shown in Figure 3, in which position the nut is in engagement with the thread 55 of the sleeve 54.

Mounted upon the shaft 42 in such a manner that the shaft is free to rotate therein, there is an arm 12, the upper end of which is forked to embrace a collar 13, which collar 13 has a, key

14 which passes through the sleeve 5| and has sliding engagement with the keyway 53 inthe shaft 50.

The reference character'15 designates a disklike member which has a shoulder 16 upon its periphery. This disk-like member is secured to the shaft 56 closely adjacentthe pillow block 26 and interposed :between itand the outer end of the sleeve 5|, there is a coil spring 18, which urges the sleeve to the right in Figure 5.

By this construction, it will be apparent that as the shaft 42 is rotated, the sleeve 54 will likewise be rotated, and through the medium of its threaded engagement with the nut 6|, the sleeve 54 will be moved to the left in Figure 5 against the action .of thespring 58. Movement of the sleeve 54 to the left in Figure 5 moves the arm 12 to the left in said figure, which in turn, moves the upper sleeve 5| to the left in Figure 5, sliding the same along the shaft 56 against the action of the spring I8, placing saidspring under compression.

A stub shaft 8| is secured as at 8| in the free end of the sleeve 5| and carried by the stub shaft 8|, there is a conventional chuck 82, which is adapted to grip one end of a rod or section of rod designated B. The chuck 82 has an annular groove 83, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

The shaft 42 is rotated in the following manner:

The reference character 84 designates a driving belt which passes around a driving pulley 85 freely rotatable upon the shaft 56. The pulley 85 Lhasa hub extension 86 provided with a groove 81, in which a forked member 88 rides.

The forked member 88 is carried by a rod 89 slidably mounted in the piilow blocks 26 and 39, see Figure 5. The rod. is reciprocated both manually and automatically, in the following manner:

The reference numeral 96' designates an operating handle which has threaded engagement with a disk-like member 9|, and the inner end of the handle 96, engages the rod 89, to lock the member 9| thereto in any position along .the rod to which it may be adjusted. Thus, merely by grasping the operating handle 90, and moving it to the right or'to the left, the rod 89 will be moved correspondingly.

The rod 89 is moved automatically in the following manner:

By reference to Figure 4, it will be noted that the disk-like member 9| is in the path of travel of the forked arm 12 so that when it moves to the left as shown in Figure 1 in the manner heretofore described, it engages the disk-like member 9|, moving it to the left and consequently moving the rod 89 to the left.

The hub extension 86 of the pulley 85 has a clutch face 96, which is adapted, as .the rod 89 is moved, to engage and disengage a clutch face 91 upon the'extension 99 of a gear 98. The gear 98 is secured to the shaft 56 and hence when the clutch faces 96 and 91 operatively engage each other, the gear 98 and the shaft 56 will be rotated. v

The gear 98 meshes with a gear I 69 operatively connected with the shaft 42 so that when the gear I99 is rotated by the gear 98, said shaft 42 will be driven to rotate the threaded sleeve 54 in the nut 6|, rotated by reason of the fact that the gear 98 is operatively connected thereto, while the threaded sleeve 54 will be rotated by reason of the key 50 operating in the keyway 48 in the shaft 42 in the manner heretofore described.

Mounted upon the shaft 42 between the pillow mounted as at I28 upon a frame clamping memblock 35 and the bracket 45, there is a gear I which gear has a key not shown which operates in the keyway 49 to operativelyconnect the gear to the shaft and yet permit of sliding movement therealong. The gear I00 meshes with a gear IOI, operatively connected to a short shaft I02 which is mounted in the upper portion of the pillow block 35. A collar I03, secured to the shaft I02 by a bolt I04 serves together with the gear IOI, to-maintain the shaft I02 in-position.

Slidably mounted upon the shaft I02, but keyed thereto as at I05, see Figures '7 and 8, there is a sleeve I06 which has a closed end I01, formed with a socket I08. Secured in the socket I08 there is a shaft I09 which carries a chuck IIO which grips the opposite end of the rod or section of rod B, being operated upon.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the rod or section of the rod being operated upon is supported in operatiVe position by the two chucks 82 and H0 and that rotary motion is transmitted thereto by said chucks which are rotated in unison in the manner heretoforedescribed.

Means is provided to 'maintain the rod or section of rod being operated upon in true longitudinal alinement and to thereby prevent whipping thereof and this means will now be described.

As heretofore stated, the sleeve I06 is slidably mounted upon the shaft I02 andthis sleeve carries a collar III from which projects a bolt II2. Connecting the bolt II2 with the bolt I04, heretofore mentioned, there is a spring H3. The tension of this spring will, at all times, be sumcient to exert enough pull upon the sleeve I06, which pull is in turn transmitted to the rod B, to maintain said rod in true longitudinal alinement and prevent whipping thereof. It will be imderstood that the spring H3 is placed under tension by the pulling of the rod upon the sleeve I06 through the medium of the shaft I09 and the chuck IIO, since the rod is moved to the left in the figures by the feed screw 54, which moves the arm I2 and the sleeve i, during a winding operation.

To provide for rods or sections of rods of different lengths, the pillow block 35 is adjustable along the supporting frame by loosening of the quick-acting bolt 33.

The chucks 82 and II 0 which support the rod being operated upon are operated simultaneous- 1y to grip or release a rod and the means by which this is accomplished will now be described.

Pivotally mounted as at I20 upon the supporting frame, there is a hand lever I2I. Connected to the hand lever on the side forward of the pivot I20, there is a rod or link I22 which has sliding movement-in the eye of a lug I23 mounted on the hand lever. This link I22 has a head I24 so that in one direction of movement of the hand lever, the rod will be moved by engagement of the lug I23 with the head I24, while, when, as shown in Figure 1, the hand lever I2I is in its normal position, the head I24 is slightly spaced therefrom to allow limited free movement of the rod in the lug I23. v

The opposite end of the link I22 has a hooked end I25 which engages in an opening in a lug I26, carried by a lever I21 which is pivotally ber I29, see Figures 2 and 3.

Similarly connected to the hand lever I2I at a point at the rear of the pivot I20, there is a link I30, the other end of which is connected, in a manner similar to the link I22, to a lever I 3| which is pivotally mounted as ati32 to a frame to be operated upon may be positioned to be gripped by the chucks which are tightened in engagement therewith, after of course, the chucks have been moved towards each other by the return of the hand lever to its normal position in which it is shown in Figure 1.

The grooves 83 and I35 in the chucks 32 and II 0, are of such width as to permit of sufficient independent movement of the chucks under the influence of the spring H3 in order that the rod may be under constant longitudinal pull or strain in the manner heretofore described, which action is also aided by the lost motion afforded by the sliding'connection of the links I22 and I30, with the hand lever I2I. .The hooked ends of the links I22 and I30 permit of their ready removal and the substitution of linksof different lengths depending upon the length of rod or section of rod being operated upon. i

Supported upon the pillow blocks 30 and 35" As best illustrated in Figure 6, there is an upstanding flange I45, the upper edge of which is formed with a plurality of guide slots I46 through which the bindings may be led from the spools to the rod or section of rod being operated upon. The reference character I designates tension devices which may be of any conven tional type and which are adjustably mounted by means of standards I48 which may be secured in the proper openings I4I heretofore mentioned.

The reference numeral I50 designates a binding cutter of which, although but one is shown in Figure 6, there may be one for each binding if desired.

These binding cutters each comprises a housing having slots I5l and I52 respectively in its front and rear walls through which the binding passes. Pivotally mounted in the housing as at I53, there is a lever I54 having a depending extension I55- while upon the upper endof the lever I54 there is a cutter blade I56.

InFigure the parts of the cutter are illustrated in their normal position in which position they are held by a coil spring I58, connected at one end to the housing and at the other end to the pivoted lever I54. By rocking the lever I54 about its pivotal point I 53, the cutting'blade rocable rod I60, slidably mounted in brackets 16] upon the under side of the shelf Illl, see Figure 3. This rod I60 carries an arm I62 which rests in a groove I63 on the sleeve 5|, see Figure 5. The rod I60 carries a plurality of adjustable blocks I64 which occupy positions such that they will, as the rod is reciprocated, engage the depending ends of the cutter levers I56 to rock the levers about their respective pivotal points to effeet a cutting operation of the bindings.

It is to be understood that the rod ISO is reciprocated by the lever I62 resting in the groove I63 of the sleeve 5|, when said sleeve is moved by the feeding screw 54 and the springs 58 and 18.

The machine operates in the following manner:

A rod or section of a rod to be wound with binding is placed in the chucks 82 and III! by first spreading the chucks by the hand lever in the manner heretofore described. After the rod has been placed in position, the binding threads are led through their proper guide slots and their free ends attached to the rod preferably by means of a quick drying adhesive, as is the practice in the art.

When the rod has been so positioned and the free ends of the bindings secured thereto, the hand lever 90 is grasped and moved to the right in Figure 1 of the drawings which action moves the rod 89 also to the right to engage the clutch faces 96 and 91, to drive the shaft 50, and rotate the rod held in the chucks.

Upon rotation of the shaft 50, the sleeve 54 will be moved to the left in the drawings by the feeding nut 6i moving the arm 12 and the sleeve 5I to the left and thereby moving the rod longitudinally and relatively to the binding threads or windings in order to lay them upon the rod. The chuck III] is moved to the left against the action of the spring II3, by the rod B and it is to be understood that the tension produced by this pull will be suflicient to maintain the rod being operated upon in true longitudinal alinement against both the tension of the'binding threads and any tendency of the rod to whip as a result of the speed at which it is operated.

This tension resulting from the longitudinal pull upon the rod, I consider an important feature of my invention, since it permits of the winding of rods of high flexibility in a true and even manner without damage to the rod, thereby permitting the use of the machine for winding fly rods and fiy rod tips.

As the machine continues to' operate, the arm 12 engages the member 9| and moves the rod 89 to the left to disengage the clutch faces 96 and 91 and disconnect the power from the shaft 50. It will be obvious that by adjustment of the hand lever 90 along the rod 89, the length of the bindings may be varied as desired.

When the power is disconnected from the shaft 513, the shaft will be brought to rest in a predetermined position by reason of the engagement with the shoulder 16 of the member 15, by the hooked end I of a'spring actuated lever I8I, see Figure 11. The rod 89 is cut away as indicated in dotted lines in said Figure 11, to provide a low spot which permits of the rocking of the lever under the influence of the spring I85. The low spot in the rod 89 is so positioned with respect -to the lever I8I that it registers therewith just at the time that the clutch faces become disengaged so that as the shoulder 16 comes around the next time, the hooked end of the lever I8I will engage it to arrest further rotation of the shaft. This is another important feature of this invention, since it insures the rod stopping in a position in which guides such as D in Figure 6, will come to rest in an upper- 5 with the thread 55 of the sleeve 54, whereupon 15 the several parts are returned to their starting position under the influence of the springs 58 and I8 ready to receive another rod or length of rod to repeat the operation.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that 2c the present'invention provides a novel machine for applying binding windings to fishing rods and rod sections which machine is capable of applying any number and length of bindings desired. Furthermore, the machine is, except for 2:

the placing of the rod in operative position and starting of the machine, practically automatic in its operation.

While the invention has been herein disclosed in a preferred form, it is to be understood that 3i it is not to be limited to the specific construction herein shown, and that it may be carried out with slight changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is 81 cla.imed as new, is:

1. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a pair of spaced chucks for supporting a rod to be operated upon, means for rotating said chucks in unison, means for simultaneously opening and closing said chucks, and means for exerting a constant pull upon one of said chucks to maintain the rod being operated upon, in axial alinement with the axes of the chucks. 4

2. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a pair of spaced chucks in axial alinement with each other for supporting a rod to be operated upon, means for simultaneously rotating said chucks in the same direction at 5 equal. rates of speed, means for simultaneously moving said chucks in one direction through the medium of a rod supported in said chucks, and resilient means exerting a constant pull upon one of said chucks in a direction opposite to 5 the direction of their simultaneous movement to maintain the rod being operated upon, in axial alinement with the axes of said spaced chucks.

3. Ina machine of the character described,

in combination, a base, a plurality of winding strands supported upon said base, means mounted upon said base for supporting a rod to be operated upon in operative relation with said plurality of winding strands, means for rotating the rod and for simultaneously moving it relatively to the winding strands to effect a laying of the winding strands thereon, tensioning means for said winding strands, and means for exerting sufficient pull longitudinally of the rod being operated upon, to retain the rod in true axial alinement against the tension of the winding strands.

4. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a base, a plurality of winding strands supported upon said base, means mount- 1 nor ed upon said base mr supporting a rod to be operated upon in operative relation with said plurality of winding strands, means for rotating the rod and for simultaneously moving it relatively to the winding strands to effect a laying of the winding strands thereon, tensioning means for said winding strands, and means for exerting sufflcient pull longitudinally of the rod being operated upon, to retain the rod in true axial alinement against the tension of the winding strands, said last mentioned means including one of the rod supporting means.

5. A machine for applying binding windings to areas of fishing rods, said machine comprising a supporting base, a pair of pillow blocks carried by one end of the supporting base, one of said pillow blocks being adjustable along the base, a third pillow block carried upon the other end of the supporting baseand adjustable-therealong, a shaft mounted in said first-mentioned pillow blocks, means for rotating said shaft, a sleeve carried by said shaft, said sleeve being slidable upon said shaft and rotatable therewith, positive operating means for sliding the-sleeve upon the shaft, a rod gripping and supporting chuck carried by the sleeve, said chuck being rotatable and slidable with said sleeve, a shaft mounted in said third pillow block, means for rotating said shaft, a sleeve slidable upon said shaft and keyed thereto to rotate therewith, a rod gripping and supporting chuck carried by said sleeve, and means for urging said sleevein a direction opposite to the sliding movement imparted to the first mentioned sleeve by the positive operating means.

WALTER S. TORRENCE. 

